FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

SOMERS, Wis. (Apr. 3, 2014)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside softball team continues its exile from the Case Complex this weekend, taking on Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division rivals Bellarmine University and the University of Southern Indiana in Romeoville, Ill.
 
The weekend games were originally slated to be contested in Somers, Wis., at the Case Complex before untenable field conditions forced the games southward across the state line to Lewis University's softball field. The Rangers will "host" Bellarmine in a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday before facing Southern Indiana on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Live stats will be available for both doubleheaders at parksiderangers.com.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside's (2-14, 2-10 GLVC) season-opening road odyssey has now reached 16 games as the Case Complex remains incapacitated by a cold and damp spring. The Rangers earned a doubleheader split on Monday against Saint Joseph's College, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to secure a comfortable 7-1 win before succumbing 13-12 in extra innings in the nightcap.
 
In the opener, Carly Dundee was the star of the show, tossing a complete game victory in the circle while helping her own cause on at the plate with three hits and two RBIs.
 
In game two, the Pumas staked an early 6-0 lead after two innings before the Rangers slowly clawed back, tying the game at 10-10 in the top of the sixth inning. SJC scored a run in the bottom of the sixth before RBI singles from Colleen Cummings and Dundee gave Parkside the 12-11 edge. The Pumas played a run in the bottom of the seventh before netting the winning run on a Ranger fielding error in the eighth inning.
 
Kira Cooper has been on fire at the plate for the Rangers, leading the team with a .491 batting average. Alexis Simone is hitting .351 while Kalli Gosser sports a .319 average with four extra base hits. Kirsten Luevano owns a .300 batting average and leads the team in RBIs with 16.
 
In the circle, Carly Dundee continues to pace the squad, leading the team in earned run average (5.38), complete games (4), innings pitched (52) and strikeouts (22). Hayley Schneider has tossed 23 2/3 innings I the circle, owning an ERA of 5.92. Kristin Kleinmeyer sits with 12 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings of action.
 
About the Knights: Bellarmine (23-9, 16-4 GLVC), who is receiving votes in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll, heads to Illinois having dropped three of its last four games. The Knights split their series against McKendree University on Mar. 31 at Knights Field, stumbling 2-1 in the opener before rebounding with a marathon 2-1 win in nine innings. Bellarmine's offense went missing on Wednesday afternoon against Southern Indiana, falling 1-0 and 2-0 to the Screaming Eagles.
 
Offensively, the Knights are paced by Ally Foster who is hitting .367 on the season with 17 extra base hits and 27 RBIs. Scarlett Powers is hitting .330 with a team-high nine home runs while Erica Knollman and Rachel Fox are hitting .315 and .300, respectively.
 
The Bellarmine pitching staff has been lights out all season, compiling a team earned run average of 1.45 with 182 strikeouts.  Leading the unit is Ally Foster, sporting an 8-3 record with a 1.29 ERA with 79 strikeouts. Alicia Miller has a team-best 85 strikeouts while logging a team-high 105 2/3 innings inside the circle while Tanner Tevis has a 1.75 ERA with 18 strikeouts.
 
About the Screaming Eagles: Southern Indiana (16-11, 8-10 GLVC) is soaring high having won five of its last six, including a pair of shutouts over Bellarmine on Wednesday.
 
The Screaming Eagles recent run began with a sweep of McKendree University on Mar. 30, snapping a three-game funk. USI downed the Bearcats 4-3 and 6-3 before splitting a pair of games against the University of Illinois-Springfield (3-1, 1-4) on Monday. The Eagles good fortunes continued on Wednesday slipping past Bellarmine 1-0 and 2-0 at the USI Softball Field.
 
Mackenzie Dorsam is USI's leading hitter with 18 RBIs and a .366 batting average. Brooke Harmening carries a .360 average with 13 extra base hits and 18 RBIs while Janna Green carries a .330 average.
 
Harmening is the Eagles' primary pitcher, having tossed a team-high 108 innings with 122 strikeouts. The righthander has a 1.43 earned run average and has tossed 12 complete games while Sarah Owens sports a 2.57 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings of action.

Turn Up The Pink: Turn up the Pink is the Rangers' sixth annual pink game to support breast cancer research. The event was originally slated for this weekend but will be pushed back to Sunday, April 13 against Rockhurst University. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. at the Case Complex. All proceeds of the event go to the Susan G. Komen fund. Last season the team raised about $2,000 for the fund from selling t-shirts, raffle tickets and donations.